Deceptions
by AnonymouslyAddicted
Summary: Things aren't always what they appear to be. Possibly AU.


**A/N** : I would start by saying this is AU. Maybe not without context at all, but even writing it I was struggling because I don't know if Henry would ever react that way. This whole idea came from a dream I had (I get that sometimes. I dream that I am watching an episode of the show that doesn't really exist lol) and Jenni and Holly encouraged me to write that (thanks for the help, ladies), so the outcome is this. As I mentioned this was a struggle and I am not sure of this at all, but I still hope you will like it and tell me what you think.

* * *

 **Deceptions**

Henry usually didn't open emails from unknown senders. Actually, with the security that was installed on his laptop, unknown emails were screened even before they ended up in his inbox. He usually just ignored and deleted the ones that weren't. But this particular email caught his attention. It didn't look like spam. And although the sender was unknown, the email address seemed to be real enough, yet odd; Henry decided to open it. It might have been the subject – "Thought you'd like to know" – that made him click it. He couldn't quite tell. But it was too late, and irrelevant by the time the images that were attached to the email loaded and appeared on the screen.

In black and white, he saw his wife sharing a kiss with a man that wasn't him. He looked carefully at the picture. This could be something old, from before they met. But it wasn't. He zoomed in, noticing the wedding ring on her finger. She was wearing a skirt he knew and heels he used to love. Below, the sender of the email provided further information. "This was taken last Tuesday. I believe you were on the phone with her a few minutes before the meeting. She told you she was working late; that she was stuck in her office. The guy's name is John. John Finn."

" _No_ ," he muttered, already feeling the lump in his throat. He knew Elizabeth. She would never… this had to be fake. With the unknown sender, it had to be someone looking to undermine his trust in Elizabeth.

"Henry?" Elizabeth called from the bathroom, hearing his voice but not quite hearing what he was saying. When he didn't respond, she walked back into their bedroom. He was sitting on their bed, staring at the screen of his laptop, tears in his eyes. Rushing over to him, she felt her heart racing. "Hey, what's wrong? What happened?" She couldn't keep the concern from her voice as she furrowed her brows.

Tossing the laptop on the bed and showing her the picture, he stood from the bed and crossed his arms. "How could you?!" he yelled.

Elizabeth took a step back at first, startled by his voice; surprised at the anger it held. She then examined the photo and sighed. This was one reason she didn't want to meet John. But she had no choice. She needed his help with some information he had regarding the kidnapping of a teenage girl and she owed it to the girl's mother to do whatever she could to help bring her back.

"Henry, it's not what you think… I'm not…"

"You're not cheating? Because that is what I think. And it sure as hell looks like it," Henry shouted. He was furious. He was hurt, but more than that he was angry.

"No! Come on, you know better than to believe this," Elizabeth pleaded, walking over to him. But Henry retreated. He didn't want her near him.

"See, that's what I thought at first. That you would never do that. But then… You lied to me! You told me you were at the office and here you are meeting up with your lover. And with John nonetheless! How could I ever be so stupid to think there was ever room for me after that great love of yours!" he spat, his hands now closed into fists.

Elizabeth sighed again. She knew how it looked. She knew why Henry believed that she was cheating, and the main problem was that any explanation she had sounded like a bad excuse, in spite of it being true. John was her first great love, the one she thought, back then, would be the love of her life. Until she met Henry. He was the first man she ever loved and they had been together for 6 years. They shared so many memories, had so many dreams, before he got accepted to Harvard Law School and had to move. She never followed. She had just been accepted to UVA and she couldn't give it up. They never had a fight. He simply kissed her goodbye and moved, and while they wrote to each other occasionally, it was clear to the both of them that they were over. It was only when she met Henry that she finally began to think that she could have a future with someone else. That maybe John wasn't the only one. But she also knew that for the rest of her life, John would have a special place in her heart. He was with her the night her parents died, and every day after. He held her when she cried, hugged her when she was feeling lonely. She was always welcomed in his house and he always tried to make it feel like home, although he knew and understood that nothing could ever replace the home she once had. But Henry was her great love. He was her only love. They had been together for almost three decades and there was nothing and no one that could come between them. She loved John, she really did, but Henry was the love of her life and she had to make him understand that.

Stepping closer to him again, she reached her hands to his, undoing his fists and taking his hands in hers. "Henry, I need you to listen to me, to hear what I have to say. I need you to hear me when I tell you that I am not cheating, that we are not having an affair. I didn't tell you that I was meeting with him because I couldn't. He's working with the FBI now. I didn't… I didn't look for him. We are working on this case and he is the agent in charge and we just… Henry, nothing happened, you have to believe me, please." She had tears in her eyes, refusing to let them spill. She had to stay strong, had to convince him that he was still everything to her. Nothing changed.

But Henry felt betrayed. He knew it wasn't like him, like _them_ , to ever believe something like that. But it was just like that time she heard he was having an affair with his handler. She needed to hear it from him, needed to hear him say that it wasn't true. And of course, he lied back then too and she still believed every word he said. Why was it so hard for him to do the same now? He couldn't look at her, could barely stand being in the same room with her. Pulling his hands away, he moved towards the door and left, leaving her in silence, in pain.

Elizabeth didn't follow him. She knew he needed his space, that he needed to think. She sat on the bed and buried her face in her hands, finally letting the tears stream down her cheeks.

* * *

The sun was beginning to rise by the time Henry finally walked back through the bedroom door. Elizabeth was still in her office clothes, still sitting at the same spot where he'd left her. His laptop sat beside her, still showing the pictures she wanted so badly to delete. Twisting her bands, she stared into space, too tired to shed another tear.

"Henry," she breathed his name when he entered the room. She was about to jump from her seat, to run towards him and wrap her arms around him, but she could feel his anger even from where he stood. Sadness filled her eyes and she released a slow breath.

"Why did you kiss him?"

Glancing at him, she noticed how he was avoiding her eyes, how he never dared to actually look at her. "He greeted me with a peck, that is what this picture is. I was mad at him after, told him it was inappropriate."

"Does he still love you?"

"I don't know, Henry. I didn't ask. It was strictly business."

He crossed his arms over his chest and finally met her eyes. He was furious. "Do you really expect me to believe that you met with your first love and all you talked about was _work_?"

"Yes. Because I would never lie to you."

Snorting, Henry rolled his eyes. "Says the woman who did just _that_."

Standing up in anger, Elizabeth made her way towards him. "Henry, I didn't lie to you because I was trying to hide something from you. I don't tell you many things about what I do, and this is no different. You know fair well I can't share everything with you, and yes, sometimes I have to lie about where I am, but it has nothing to do with _us_ ," she spat.

"Elizabeth, it has everything to do with us!" Henry yelled. "It wasn't just work, John is the guy you thought you'd marry! What am I supposed to do about that?! You meeting up with him, after lying to me, and all I get is pictures showing the two of you kissing!"

Tears filled her eyes as she slowly realized just how hurt he was. She knew that he wanted to believe her, but the doubt was eating him from the inside and it must've hurt like hell. "You're supposed to remember that I didn't marry him. I married you, and it wasn't without choice. I picked you not because he left or because we were over. I picked you because I wanted, want, _you_. And it's a choice I would make all over again today." She wiped her cheeks, the rings on her finger glowing in the soft morning light.

"Elizabeth, do you still love him?" Henry's voice was lower now, calmer. But it carried out the pain of the question, and the fear of her answer.

"I do," she whispered, her eyes never leaving his. "I love him as a friend. I love him for all that he has given me. I am not going to lie to you, John will always have a place in my heart. But Henry…" She placed her hands on his cheeks, moving to stand closer to him. "You are the _one_. The _only one_."

Her phone buzzed then, vibrating on the bed as the screen showed "Agent John Finn". Elizabeth and Henry looked at her phone, but her eyes were back to him, not daring to take that call. A minute later the landline was ringing and Elizabeth realized this was probably serious. With pleading eyes, she glanced at him again and he nodded, watching her as she rushed towards the phone.

Although the call was confidential, Elizabeth didn't dare to leave the room. She could risk Henry hearing this, if it would save her marriage; if it would make him believe in what she was telling him. Henry watched her, noticing how tense her shoulders were when she nodded into the phone at the news. Pressing two fingers to her nose, she sighed.

"The President's orders were clear. We don't negotiate with him. Meet me in the Situation Room." She ended the call, her mind spiraling as she tried to find the right words to let him know she had to leave. That she had to go and spend the day with this guy who was once her soulmate, a guy she just admitted she still loved.

Watching her from the side, Henry noticed the distress that was showing on every part of her body. _Duty calls_ , he knew that. He knew that better than anyone because he had been with her for all the times duty called and he knew how the guilt would stealth slowly when he wasn't looking, when he wasn't there to hold her hand and tell her that this wasn't her fault. But this time it was showing, in full force and effect, as she stood there with her back turned to him. This wasn't a football game she missed, or a birthday dinner. This was their marriage, and if he ever doubted them, it was now clear that it meant the world to her. So much that she was willing to put the rest of the world on hold.

Henry walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back to his chest. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, placing a warm kiss to her skin. "You can go, I am not going anywhere."

Turning in his arms, she met his eyes with tears in hers. Her fingers moved on the features of his face, caressing him. "You are so beautiful, Henry. Inside and out. And I was so lucky to have been chosen by you, to have been loved by you. I will never do anything to hurt you, not intentionally. And I will never stop loving you."

Wiping her tears, he rested his forehead against hers, his arms tight on the small of her back. "No more lies?" he asked quietly.

"No more lies," she replied, and fresh tears slid down her cheeks.

Henry nodded, leaning closer and pressing his lips to hers. Letting out a shaky breath, she opened her mouth just enough to allow his lips to cover hers completely, for his tongue to make its way inside. He pulled her closer, as close as he could, holding her tight as their lips danced together.

"Go," he muttered when they parted. "Go, and tell him that I am the only one who gets to kiss you now," he smiled.

Mirroring his smile, she pulled him for another kiss. "Best kisser in the world," she mumbled before pecking his lips numerous times.


End file.
